Travis Kvapil, driver of the No. 28 Yates Racing Ford Fusion, is sporting an 11 Million paint scheme this weekend in reference to the estimated number of people who watch NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races on television every weekend. Kvapil, whose team is still seeking a full-time sponsor, spoke about the concept and his hopes for Sunday.
TRAVIS KVAPIL – No. 28 Yates Racing Ford Fusion – CAN YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR PAINT SCHEME? “We had the idea to put 11 million on the hood of the car and what we’re trying to represent and illustrate is the average number of viewers watching the races the first part of the season on Fox and with that they’re watching the 28 car go around without a primary sponsor on it, so I guess what we’re trying to show is there’s an opportunity. There’s obviously a lot of people watching the race, and that’s how we’re trying to illustrate our situation.”
AND YOU’RE DRIVING A FAMOUS NUMBER IN THE 28, SO IT’S NOT JUST ANOTHER CAR, RIGHT? “Yates Racing and the 28 number definitely had a glorious history and has a well-known spot in this sport. The heritage with the 28 number is pretty legendary. There’s been a lot of great drivers that have won races and contended for championships with that number. For me, when I think of the 28 I think of Davey Allison and the great career he had at Yates and the number of races he won. It’s special to be able to bring that back and get it out here. It’s kind of a shame that we don’t have a company associated with it, but we’re trying to get across that there’s an opportunity here. NASCAR is the most viewed sport on television right now and we’re just trying to demonstrate that message.”
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR TEAM’S EFFORT SO FAR? “Yeah. You never know how you’re going to come out of Daytona and we just got banged up there at the end. The next two weeks we had cars that were top 10 cars. We had some trouble at California and we weren’t able to do that, but we put the whole package together at Las Vegas and had a nice, solid eighth-place finish. Atlanta was just a big struggle for our team. We never felt comfortable with the car from the time we unloaded it and I know we weren’t the only ones. It seemed like there were about five or six teams that really hit on it and everyone else was struggling pretty bad, so I’m very confident in our team and our races cars and our equipment. Our alliance with Roush Fenway has given us top-notch equipment, so we know we can go out there and compete. In our third race together we showed we were a top-10 caliber car and I really think we’re just building on that. We’re still learning how this new company is gonna work. I’ve only had four races with Todd as my crew chief, so we’re only gonna get better and we’re only gonna get stronger. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season and I truly do think we can be a contender for race victories.”
IS IT FRUSTRATING TO BE IN YOUR POSITION, HOWEVER, AND HAVE VARIABLES OUT OF YOUR CONTROL LIKE AT BRISTOL AND MARTINSVILLE? “I’ve thought about it a lot and you really just have to go out there and race. I guess the biggest thing is you can’t really be conservative because it’s hard to be conservative at these fast, little race tracks. You’ve got to go out there and race hard and, hopefully, run up front. Obviously, you can get caught up in wreck anywhere you’re at on the track, but if you’re toward the front, that’s gonna give you the best opportunity to have a good, clean day. I’m really looking forward to these next two weeks of short-track racing. It is gonna be a challenge and the biggest thing we’re gonna fight is coming out of here unscathed and not getting caught up in a wreck. But I have confidence that our cars will have speed in them and we’ll be fast. Hopefully, we can just keep it up in the top part of the field and that will help us stay out of trouble.”
Greg Biffle, driver of the No. 16 Jackson Hewitt Ford Fusion, is second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings heading into Sunday’s Food City 500. Biffle held a Q&A session in the Bristol infield media center prior to Friday’s practice to discuss various issues.
GREG BIFFLE – No. 16 Jackson Hewitt Ford Fusion – WHAT ABOUT THIS WEEKEND? “I’m certainly excited about this weekend. This race track has always been one of my favorites to come to. It’s fast and the racing has changed a lot. The last race here the track configuration has changed, but it still the same old Bristol – keep your nose clean, run good, qualify decent. It’s a fun place to come. Darlington was something special, to be able to go back there with it re-paved and do what we did down there with the tire test.”
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT DARLINGTON AND HOW IT WENT? “Exactly what I suspected was gonna happen when they said last year they’re gonna re-pave Darlington happened. I think we all knew it, but it’s extremely fast. To fast for that size of race track, and it’s just the combination and the same thing we’ve faced everywhere we’ve gone with a re-pave – Charlotte, Vegas – reconfiguration and all that. It’s just extremely, extremely fast because of our cars today and how much grip that we’ve been able to get out of our cars and tires and how much power we make now. We went 200 miles an hour into turn three at Darlington – 200 miles an hour, a 1.3-mile track, a 28-flat lap time and I could go faster than that probably. But that’s two-and-a-half seconds faster than we were going. It’s just astronomically fast. You just won’t be able to race at that speed and, on top of that, the tire wouldn’t survive that kind of loading. We’re putting so much load on the tire, that the tire couldn’t handle that. So Goodyear backed up on tires and went on the other side, where it was too hard. Jeff Gordon and I couldn’t really drive the car. It was just not enough grip, so we came back in and they found a middle ground that we think is gonna be decent, but we know it’s gonna take a couple of races there to get that race track to take its course again. Goodyear is going back to the drawing board. We had a left-side tire that was maybe a little too fast still, I’m not sure, and then they had a tire that was too hard. So they’re gonna split that middle ground and we’re gonna go back just to double-check it. That was kind of all of our suggestions to do that and I think they were really receptive to that. Let’s face it, they don’t want us complaining about the tire being too hard, yet it can’t come apart. There’s a middle ground there. We’ve backed Goodyear in a corner and said, ‘You’ve got to control how fast we go, a tire that has a lot of grip and a tire that doesn’t come apart.’ That’s a tough order for them to come up with all of those items at once.”
DO YOU THINK THIS NEW CAR LENDS ITSELF TO THE MORE SKILLED DRIVERS? “Yes and no. That particular weekend I think it did (at Atlanta). It led its hand to guys that have car control and guys that could manage the minimum amount of grip. I made an adjustment to my car that just woke it up midway through the race. I got the lucky dog because I wasn’t running as good and I made one adjustment and, bang, my car woke up and off I went and then I had something I could compete with. The car has to be really close and then the driver has to be able to control that car. He can’t be afraid of lifting off the gas and that car kind of setting a little bit sideways and having to turn to the right and drive it down in the corner at those kind of speeds. You just have to be used to that and I’m kind of used to that. I like to drive a loose car where the car doesn’t have a lot of grip, so it did lend itself to that. I was catching Kyle there at the end, but I missed my mark a couple of times and got off base, and then Tony ran me back down a little bit there. Momentum was so much that if you screwed up a little bit, it was hard to get your momentum back. Just one screw up and they were on top of you again. I was hoping it would be the other way around. I thought, ‘I’m not gonna make any mistakes. I think Kyle is gonna feel the pressure and I might be able to run him down,’ but, anyway, it was a good race for us.”
HAVE YOU NOTICED ANY DIFFERENCE IN DAVID RAGAN THIS YEAR? “He’s definitely doing a great job. I raced with him at California and I raced with him a little bit at Las Vegas and he’s done a tremendous amount from last year to this year. I think he’s doing a good job and I think he’s gonna be competing in the top 15. I think he’s gonna sustain himself in there.”
WHAT ABOUT KYLE BUSCH AND THE MOVES HE MAKES ON THE TRACK. DOES ANYONE MAKE BOLDER MOVES THAN HIM? “I think racing on the apron at Atlanta was probably near the top of the list, but the tire didn’t have a lot of grip so you could drive down there because you were going slow. But, yeah, he’s putting it on the line. You’re gonna win some and lose some, but he’s definitely aggressive. I used to drive like that in the Truck Series and won rookie of the year and a championship there and had more wins than anybody one season, so it’ll pay off but it’ll bite you sometimes, too.”
ANY MEMORIES OF DALE JARRETT? “Tons of them. I think DJ is probably one of the most respected drivers out there for competitiveness and courtesy. When you see him coming in the mirror and he’s faster than you, you just get up out of the way and let him go and he does the same for you. He falls along the lines of the Mark Martins and Rusty Wallaces and all the guys that have been at this level.”
YOU MENTIONED THE SPEED AT DARLINGTON. IS IT GETTING TO A POINT WHERE IT’S ALMOST MISSION IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOODYEAR UNTIL WE SLOW THE CAR DOWN? “Yes, you could. You certainly could because you can only do so much with one part of the car. If we keep making more power and more power and more power over time – or whatever the case is – and we’re kind of limited on downforce now more and more and more, there comes a point where Goodyear can only do so much. If they put a tire on the car that Jeff Gordon and I liked, the thing blistered in 15 laps. It feels great. We love to drive it. We want to race like that, but we can’t. Now the question becomes, ‘If the car went a second-a-lap slower, could we race that tire?’ Sure we could. So it’s finding that middle ground. They definitely have some work cut out for them.”
WHAT’S THE FEELING LIKE DURING DRIVER INTRO’S HERE? “This is a place like no other because the grandstands are so steep and the fans are so close. Normally, like last week, you don’t get the feel of the fans because they’re back a ways and it’s not as steep. Here, it’s like they’re right on top of you and it’s pretty exciting to see the people and the noise they can make. Being in this small of an area is pretty neat.”
David Gilliland, driver of the No. 38 freecreditreport.com Ford Fusion, is looking to bounce back after last week’s struggle at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Gilliland spoke about his team’s performance and what his expectations are at Bristol before Friday’s practice.
DAVID GILLILAND – No. 38 freecreditreport.com Ford Fusion – WHAT’S YOUR APPROACH AT A SHORT TRACK LIKE THIS WHERE YOU CAN BE A VICTIM OF SOMEONE ELSE’S MISTAKE? “That’s always a concern coming here. I was just talking with Cully about that earlier. I really like this place. It reminds me a lot of Mesa Marin, a place that we had a lot of success at at home in California. We won a lot of races there, so I enjoy coming here but there are so many things that could happen that are out of control and can ruin your day. We don’t have room for ruined days right now, so we’re just working real hard at trying to secure sponsorship to be able to run the entire season and just have that name to wear proudly on our car for Travis and I both. So it can be frustrating here sometimes, but, hopefully, we can be fast enough to just be out front and stay out of harm’s way.”
HOW MUCH DIFFERENT IS THE RACING HERE WITH THE NEW CAR? “We really struggled here with the new car. We weren’t where we needed to be setup-wise and really just struggled, so that was frustrating. That always sticks in your mind a little bit when you’re coming back, but I feel like our equipment is much better than we had last year and I think that’s gonna take us a long ways, especially at place like this. When everybody is so close, you can’t afford to be off anywhere, so with our stuff and the cars we’ve been able to build this year, I feel very confident coming in here this weekend.”
WHERE DO THINGS STAND FROM A SPONSORSHIP STANDPOINT? “I think there are two more races with freecreditreport.com and we’re actively seeking new sponsorship and partners with Yates Racing. It’s a tough time right now, but both Travis and I are looking to secure sponsorship for the 28 and 38 and, hopefully, something will come along here soon. We’re looking forward to trying to put together a good, solid finish this weekend here at Bristol and put ourselves in a good position in the points to make our teams that much more attractive.”
Eddie Wood, co-owner of the No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion, commented on having Jeff Green in the car this weekend. Wood is hoping that qualifying takes place today because if it is rained out, his team will not make the race. Wood spoke to Ford Racing from the spotter’s stand during Friday’s delay.
EDDIE WOOD, Co-Owner – No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion -- “As we’ve done with Bill ever since we started this arrangement, I call him every week before finalizing our entry blank and ask him if he still wants to race for the coming week. When I spoke to Bill on Monday, he showed an interest in swapping out Bristol for Martinsville, so that’s what we did. Jeff Green has a good record here and we thought putting him in the car would give us our best shot at qualifying on speed. I think what he’s done in practice here today shows that we made a good decision. Unfortunately, when I saw the weather forecast I figured this was going to happen. I guess the most appropriate thing to say right now is that when it rains, it pours. This sort of typifies the way our season has gone so far.”
Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 17 Dish Network Ford Fusion, moved into 12th-place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings after his top-10 finish in Atlanta last week. Kenseth spoke about the weekend just before qualifying for Sunday’s Food City 500 got underway.
MATT KENSETH – No. 17 Dish Network Ford Fusion – WHAT’S YOUR MINDSET FOR SUNDAY? “You always look forward to coming to Bristol. It’s always exciting. It’s never boring. It’s not always good, but it’s never boring, so I enjoy coming here. We’ve had some success with the old configuration. We didn’t really run particularly well here in the fall, but yet Carl won the race and all my teammates ran good, so I think we learned some stuff from them and I’m certainly looking forward to getting here and getting racing this weekend.”
CAN YOU GRADE THIS NEW CAR FROM LAST YEAR TO THIS YEAR? “Not really. I don’t know. I don’t even know where to go with that. I haven’t really thought about that, I guess. From where we started to where we are right now with the program we’re much better and I feel a lot better about it from a competition standpoint and how we’re running compared to our competition, but the car hasn’t really changed. We’ve just gotten a little bit better with it and a little bit smarter with it. It’s the same for everybody. You’ve just got to figure out how to make yours drive better than the rest, I guess. I don’t know if I really have a grade or a number I can give you for the car or what we’re after with the car. It’s different than what we had before, but yet it’s still the same. We’re still trying to get it to go around the corner faster than everybody.”
IS IT GOOD TO HAVE A WEEK OFF AFTER BRISTOL? “It doesn’t matter, really. We go to Martinsville next. I’d like to have an off week now better than the third week of the season, that’s for sure. I don’t think it matters. Yeah, things can happen here and tempers can flare, but as we’ve seen before, it can kind of happen anywhere.”
DO YOU HAVE A GAMEPLAN AT THIS TRACK? YOUR RECORD IS SO GOOD. “I probably used to more so than we do today. The track is a lot more forgiving. It’s a lot wider. The outside groove is probably just as good as the inside groove, and there’s a middle so it’s not quite the same. At least last fall it wasn’t quite the same as it used to be, but certainly we used to kind of have that strategy. We used to talk about, number one, stay on the lead lap because that’s hard to do here, and, number two, try to find a safe place to hang out for 300 or 350 laps until you had your last pit stop and try to position your car and not get in harm’s way. So certainly when you go to a track where there’s action or has a reputation for accidents or people getting into it, if you can stay out of that and run competitive lap times until you need to be there at the end, that’s certainly what you try to do.”
HOW DOES THE RAIN CHANGE YOUR APPROACH TO THE WEEKEND? “We got a little bit of practice today. If it rains out qualifying, I’ll probably have a better chance of starting up farther than if it doesn’t rain for qualifying. Tomorrow, I don’t think the weather looks particularly good from what I’ve seen for a forecast, so we came in with the idea to practice as hard as we could in race trim the whole time and keep working on it and try to get through all the stuff that we could and trying to plan for rain today and rain tomorrow. So we didn’t work on qualifying at all. The track was pretty green, but it’s the same for everybody. I think everybody that’s in the top 35 probably worked on race trim more than they would if there was no threatening weather.”
YOUR THOUGHTS ON DALE JARRETT RETIRING? “I have a lot of memories. I have a lot of respect for Dale Jarrett, I think everybody out there does. He’s one of the more respected drivers. He’s one of the guys from that generation of guys that have been kind of retiring with Ricky Rudd and Mark Martin doing a partial schedule, Rusty and all those guys that don’t do it anymore. Certainly he’s seen it all in his career. I know he worked really hard to get where he’s at. I remember watching him real early in his career when they struggled, and then I watched him run through the years when he was winning all the time and won a championship and contended for a lot of them. So he’s been able to do it all and worked hard to get everything that he’s got. Certainly, whenever somebody like that retires it’s kind of sad because I’m probably one of the middle-aged guys in the sport right now, so as those guys keep retiring and you see the younger generation come in, it’s kind of a change that you’re watching and it’s kind of a weird feeling. When I first came in the face of this sport and the people you were racing against is totally different than what it looks like right now, so it’s kind of different.”
HAVE BUMP STOPS BECOME THE NEW COIL-BINDING AS FAR AS FIGURING OUT THE SETUPS FOR THESE NEW CARS? “I think it’s one of them. The splitter is so close to the ground that you have to use some sort of combination of a bump stop or coil binding or a big spring or however you’re gonna do it to keep the splitter where you want it and not have it dragging the ground. It’s hard to get the car to handle with only that little bit of travel, so certainly that’s one of the keys. There’s not as much stuff you can work on as you could with the old cars. You can’t tune your aero-balance at all. You pretty much have what they give you for a body, so there’s not a lot of areas to work on and that’s one of probably the bigger areas.”
HOW ARE YOU WEATHERING ALL THESE CHANGES YOU’VE ENDURED THE LAST YEAR OR SO? “It’s the same for everybody. Everybody has had to adapt to the rules when they change every year and the different cars and all that stuff, so I don’t think it’s been any different. And switching crew chiefs, it’s different because Robbie’s not there, but Chip has been there. He was our engineer when we put this together in ’99 and has been a huge part of how the car runs, especially the last few years, so that hasn’t really been a real big deal for us. It’s not like getting somebody new from the outside that you don’t know, one you have to build a relationship with. We’ve been working together for nine seasons, I think, so that part wasn’t a really big transition.”
SO HAS IT BEEN A CHALLENGE? “It’s always a challenge. If you watched last week, we looked like we were really challenged, so every week is a challenge, but you’ve just got to try to adapt to it.”
HOW HAS THIS CAR CHANGED THE SPORT? “Probably the biggest thing – a couple of things come to mind – it’s probably a little safer. They incorporated some things that we didn’t have before with the foam and the energy-absorbing stuff and the seat being farther over to the right and having a little bit more room has probably been the biggest thing. Another big thing is getting a handle on the aerodynamics. Everybody’s got basically the same bodies on their car, whereas before we spent a lot of money and time on R&D and you could tune a car aerodynamically for the balance that you liked and work on that, where you can’t really do that anymore. Everybody is kind of in the same boat and you’ve got to go back to working on springs and shocks and swaybars and that kind of stuff.”